1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to the art of methods and apparatuses for use in lawn and garden care, and more specifically to methods and apparatuses for stopping the rotation of a cutting blade when the mower is placed in reverse.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide lawn mowers, with means for preventing the cutting blade from cutting when the mower is traveling in reverse. Such means are provided for safety purposes. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,967, for example, Jones discloses a mechanical interlock mechanism between a manually operated clutch and a manually operated transmission control so as to prevent operation of a mower during reverse travel of a tractor. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,643, Jones discloses a transmission lever that when moved to a reverse position, moves a switch to an open position to deenergize an electric clutch through which an engine drives a mower blade.
Recent advances in mower design have made the previously mentioned inventions inadequate. One such recent advance is mowers having zero radius turning capabilities. Typically such mowers have two drive wheels, one on each side of the mower, and two driving control means, each of which controls one of the drive wheels. To make a zero radius turn it is necessary to drive one of the drive wheels in a forward direction while simultaneously driving the other drive wheel in a reverse direction. It is desirable to use the mower cutting blade while such a zero radius turn is being made, thus any device which causes the cutting blade to stop cutting when one of the drive wheels is in reverse, such as those mentioned above, is unsuitable.
The present invention provides methods and apparatuses for preventing cutting blades from cutting when a mower is in full reverse without preventing cutting during activities, such as zero radius turning, that require only one drive wheel to be in reverse. The difficulties inherent in the art are therefore overcome in a way which is simple and efficient, while providing better and more advantageous results.